Friends in Life; Friends on the Water; Friends in the Winner’s Circle
Jul 26th, 2012 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jul 26th, 2012 at 12:00 AM
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| AIM photo |
Joe Okada and friend and business partner Robert Blosser finished first and second in the recently concluded Anglers Insight Marketing tournament on the bay of Green Bay.The two southern Wisconsin Yamaha Pro walleye anglers were competing in the largest AIM tournament to date, the AIM Oconto ProTeam Challenge.
Under this format, each pro selected a partner, and their team was paired with a different co-angler daily. The unique AIM Catch-Record-Release concept means walleyes are released immediately after measuring and photographing them.
Okada’s catch earned the “Pro Team” $23,000. Joe’s Pro partner was his dad David, a family physician. Blosser pocketed $10,000, fishing with brother Josh. “We’re like a family support system both on and off the water,” Okada explained. “Our fans know we’re banded and branded together.” That off-water activity has branched into a full-blown promotional group, with Minnesota pro angler Brett King.
All three are National Professional Anglers Association members, with Blosser serving as the current president.
In the AOM ranking system of Pro anglers, Brett King won the 2011 AIM Angler of the Year title and is currently leading the FLW Angler of the Year race. Blosser was the AIM Angler of the Year in 2010, and runner-up in the 2008 FLW Championship. Okada has qualified for every Championship in the years he competed. All three have recorded major walleye tournament wins.
Okada said, “We have many of the same sponsors, which gives them more bang for their buck by having our promotional group working for them.” Blosser added, “They now have three horses in the race. With Yamaha on the back of my boat and Robert’s boat, even though we all run different hulls, we can talk about what gets us to our fishing spots.”
Okada was proud of the fact that he won on Green Bay in only the second tournament in his new ride, a YarCraft 209. “I’m really happy with how this rig performs, especially on the rough Green Bay waters,” he said. “What a hull!”
For the record, Okada trolled Deep Husky Jerks that were custom painted by JT Custom Tackle (alewife and dark maroon patterns). He fished over 17 to 30 feet of water and ran the lures at 1 ½ mph, adjusting for the current. Blosser also pulled Deep Husky Jerks.
The busy Okada guides 40 days annually on Green Bay, with another 30 days on the Madison chain of lakes, and is on the road with sponsor promotions another 90 to 100 days a year. He has five marine distributor shows in Canada and the US in September.
Their collective promotions include seminars and appearances, youth events, boat tests, tournaments, and a growing online and social media presence. Tournament updates and recaps, tips, tactics, videos, Q & A, fan response, gear and tackle, rigging, lake and river specifics, and most things fishy are covered on their websites: joeokada.com and robertblosser.com. Blosser said, “We’re investing in high-end video equipment so we can capture actual tournament and pre-fishing footage and upload it daily.”
Future goals are to bring all their original content to one platform for increased content with more original and fresh stories, news and video. “Next year we want to bring news in the form of a round-table with the top anglers immediately after each tournament. We’ll be there, and this will provide in-depth analysis of what the best walleye sticks have just learned,” Blosser said.
Okada was proud of his first major walleye victory, and equally excited about the promotional opportunities with King and Blosser. “We’re moving ahead cautiously, but the tackle and marine industry likes it, and we’re making each step count.” Blosser concluded, “We’ve pooled our resources and knowledge to give present and new customers the best information possible.”
For more information and contact information go to:
[email protected] & [email protected]